I support the authority of the president, relying upon his
commander in chief powers, to kill enemy combatants according to
the laws of war — even those who are American citizens. Few
people could credibly question the authority of American forces to
kill an armed member of al-Qaida confronted on the
battlefield.
Most Americans would also agree that if that same al-Qaida
member is an American citizen, our military forces are not required
to call "time out" before using force, nor required to
provide a battlefield mini-hearing to satisfy some notion of due
process.
Under either scenario, members of al-Qaida constitute the enemy;
they are combatants on the battlefield and may be killed or
detained according to the laws of war.
